Table of Contents
What do people have the right to do if the government does not protect their rights?
Locke believed that since the people give the power to the government, they have the right to take it away if the government is not serving the purposes for which it was established. Locke argued and the Founders agreed that if a government fails to protect the people’s rights, the people have a right of revolution.
What can people do if government does not honor these truths?
Governments get their power “from the Consent of the Governed,” or from the people. What should the people do when a government does not protect their rights? If a government does not protect their rights, the people have the right “to alter or abolish it, and to institute a new Government.”
Can the citizens overthrow the government?
Whenever any form of government becomes destructive of these ends, it is the right of the people to alter or to abolish it, and to institute a new government, laying its foundation on such principles, and organizing its powers in such form, as to them shall seem most likely to effect their safety and happiness.
What individual rights should a government protect?
The Bill of Rights protects freedom of speech, freedom of religion, the right to keep and bear arms, the freedom of assembly and the freedom to petition. It also prohibits unreasonable search and seizure, cruel and unusual punishment and compelled self-incrimination.
What should the government provide for its citizens?
Governments provide the parameters for everyday behavior for citizens, protect them from outside interference, and often provide for their well-being and happiness. In the last few centuries, some economists and thinkers have advocated government control over some aspects of the economy.
What does Jefferson say people should do if the government does not protect the rights of the governed?
Thomas Jefferson stated that when the government fails to protect the rights of the people, the people have no option but to replace that government with one that will protect their rights.